According to a University study, not all food fiber has equal heart-protection value.

Fiber up--U study compares fruit, grain, and vegetable fiber

By Mary Hoff

From eNews, July 8, 2004; Updated July 21, 2004

It's been called the "blockbuster special"--stewed prunes and
oatmeal. Such high-fiber fare is good not only for encouraging
intestinal action but also for helping keep hearts humming along.
In recent years, numerous research efforts have uncovered the power
of fiber-rich diets to reduce blood pressure, control blood sugar,
and even lower "bad cholesterol" levels in our blood. In a
University study of more than 300,000 men and women published
earlier this year, School of Public Health epidemiologist Mark
Pereira supported and refined those findings suggesting that
high-fiber diets can reduce the risk of heart disease. He and his
colleagues found that for every 10 grams of fiber consumed, the
risk of heart attack or other coronary heart disease (CHD)
decreased by 14 percent. The risk of dying from CHD dropped 27
percent. But they also found--armed with additional data from U. S.
and European studies performed over the past 30 years--that the
relationship between fiber consumption and healthy hearts is
strongest for fruit (a 30 percent drop in deaths for each 10 grams
of fruit fiber) and grains (a 25 percent drop in deaths), but
indiscernible for vegetables. In fact, when they considered only
vegetable fiber, the researchers saw no association with either CHD
incidence or mortality. Pereira says it's not evident why fiber
from vegetables had no link to heart disease. But he suspects it
may have to do with the types of vegetables we tend to
eat--potatoes, corn, peas, and other highly processed vegetables
rather than green, leafy types. Pereira's research is especially
timely given rising obesity levels and the popularity of fad diets.
Pereira recommends a fairly simple formula for a heart-healthy
life: Eat your fruits, whole grains, and green leafy vegetables;
avoid juice, soda, and fast food; and don't go off the deep end in
any one direction. "The one thing that is clear to me, and it is
sort of old-fashioned, is the importance of moderation and
balance," he says. And don't forget, he adds, "to be physically
active on a daily basis." Pereira recommends eating fruit instead
of drinking fruit juice for heart-healthy nourishment because
"juice has no fiber in it, and the sugar is concentrated so that
product has a higher caloric value." Fruit juice with pulp is no
better, he adds. For example, orange juice with pulp "contributes
very minimal fiber," he says. "You might get about half a gram per
serving in the pulp juices, and with the whole orange fruit, you
get about 3 grams of fiber."